17/08/2026
🩸 Great news for blood donors and acupuncture patients!
People receiving acupuncture from appropriately qualified practitioners will no longer need to wait four months before donating blood.
For years, many people felt they had to choose between continuing the acupuncture treatment that was helping them and giving blood to help others. Thanks to updated blood donation guidance, that unnecessary barrier is being removed.
As Angus Wells, Consultant in Donor Medicine for NHS Blood and Transplant, puts it:
"This means even more people can now give blood and save lives."
It's good news for patients.It's good news for blood donation.And it's good news for public health.
The updated guidance will be introduced across the UK by each of the four nations, so implementation dates may vary depending on where you live. As Angus Wells also reminds us:
"Criteria can change so we encourage people to check their eligibility before donating at www.blood.co.uk or call our donor helpline on 0300 123 23 23."
Read more about what this change means, why it happened, and what it means for future blood donors (link in bio).
